Currently I have a 55gl with an Emperor 400 HOB filter and a CBR BakPak 2 Protein skimmer. But I have no live rock or live sand in the tank because I live in Hawaii and its illegal. Is there any filter that I should use that would somewhat keep the nitrates down. What would one of the experts recommend for my setup if I cant have live rock and sand?
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- Thread starter mrebolton
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So it's illegal to get rocks and sand at hawaii? I would buy some at a fish store online and are you sure your lfs don't carry lr or ls?
When I say illegal, I mean illegal. You cant sell it in Hawaii, obtain it, or even have it shipped. So I cant buy any online, nor can I go to the ocean and pick it. It has something to do with the coral reef out here being endangered.
Wow, really!? So you can't get rock even though its from somewhere else? Hmm.....let me think on this.
Research curing your own liverock and live sand. You can always buy the "dead" kind and cure it yourself. Also some folks will argue you don't need a sandbed at all. I am not one of those folks merely because I like the looks of it but some folks have had great success with no sandbed whatsoever.
To cut nitrates out (recently gone through this), I cleaned my filter out really good of all detritus, cut feeding in half, increased water changes to once a week, and "cleaned" my rock and sand inside the tank. Since you don't have rock or sand try the other items. You can also start a refugium if that doesn't help but make sure your top off water and water changes has no nitrates in it. You apparently have a source of nitrates getting in somehow. Mine was coming from years of buildup as well as my tank being somewhat overstocked.
Mike
To cut nitrates out (recently gone through this), I cleaned my filter out really good of all detritus, cut feeding in half, increased water changes to once a week, and "cleaned" my rock and sand inside the tank. Since you don't have rock or sand try the other items. You can also start a refugium if that doesn't help but make sure your top off water and water changes has no nitrates in it. You apparently have a source of nitrates getting in somehow. Mine was coming from years of buildup as well as my tank being somewhat overstocked.
Mike
There are a few non reef rocks you can use, like lava rock and it will become live with all the bacteria needed to use up nitrates within a month or two.
You can also use a non argonite type substrate like sand blasting sand that has a large magnet run through it first to make sure any iron particles are removed.
That sand will, however, need careful placement of power heads so as not to blow it around.
You can also use a non argonite type substrate like sand blasting sand that has a large magnet run through it first to make sure any iron particles are removed.
That sand will, however, need careful placement of power heads so as not to blow it around.